A WOMAN from Malmesbury who has been writing to a man on death row in the USA, has started a campaign to free him from prison.

Katie Menham, 25, started writing to Julius Bradford in January via the website WriteAPrisoner, after watching a documentary about death row inmates.

The now 31-year-old Bradford was found guilty of first-degree murder and attempted robbery in 2004 and has been awaiting execution in the High Desert State Prison in Nevada ever since.

A former member of the notorious Crips gang in Los Angeles, Bradford was stabbed and shot during his youth and had “fallen in with the wrong crowd” according to Katie.

As a counselling and psychotherapy student, Katie wanted to reach out to Bradford to try and bring some light into his life.

“I’m one of those people that wants to change the world,” she said.

“Anything negative that’s happened, I try to make it into a positive.

“I thought a little bit of kindness in that situation goes a long way.”

The pair talk about the differences between the USA and UK, what it’s like to live in a maximum security prison compared with rural Malmesbury and about life in general.

Bradford recently offered to pay a $25 fee from his prison allowance to speed up the prison’s letter vetting process, meaning they would receive each other’s correspondences quicker – an offer Katie refused.

Since writing to Bradford, Katie says she has learned a lot.

“I’ve learned to not take little things for granted,” she explained.

“He doesn’t have his freedom, yet he’s still interested in what I’m doing. It makes you appreciate the little things.

“He has not once made any excuses or been negative or complained.”

She insists his trial was a miscarriage of justice and in the light of new evidence, a retrial is upcoming that could see Bradford released as early as next year.

Katie has set up a Facebook group called Free Julius Bradford and a crowdfunding campaign to raise money to afford Bradford a good lawyer during his retrial.

People have voiced their opposition to her campaign online, though Katie says the negative comments don’t phase her.

“It doesn’t really bother me. I think it’s funny,” she said. “I’ve got a thick skin.

“I’ve said if it takes the expense of my reputation to raise awareness for the case it’s worth it. I know it’s the right thing to do.

“He’s sat there [in jail] with nothing, the least I can do is take some stick on Facebook.”

Katie says while her parents were unsure at first, they are both now supportive of what she is doing.

“They started out unsure,” she said. “My dad was concerned I’d be attached and that if he was executed I’d be devastated.

“Friends have been a bit mixed. [They] initially hear the story and it’s shocking. Once they read the letters however, they have completely changed their outlook.

“He’s just a normal person.”

Since she started writing to Bradford, Katie has since broken up with her boyfriend, but insists the two things are unrelated, stating that her relationship with the prisoner is purely platonic.

“I’m attached to him on friendship level,” she said. “It’s an intimate form of communication. It’s easier to express emotions over letter compared to face to face.

“There is a bond there but not in a romantic sense.”

To support Katie’s fundraising efforts visit crowdfunding.justgiving.com/katie-menham?utm_id=61

Katie has also set up a petition to support Bradford’s release which can be found via change.org/p/brian-sandoval-get-julius-bradford-off-of-death-row-before-it-s-too-late